"The 600-acre Palo Alto Flood Basin is just a short walk from Mountain View's Pond A2W, and the motorized sluice gate that is meant to regulate muted tidal flows into the basin's estuary has been inoperable for over five years. The city of Palo Alto is responsible for maintaining the sluice gate but is reluctant to proceed with the expensive repair."
"Since then, voters have amended it dozens of times, each time carving out another category of people who get a huge break on their property taxes. Now we have a person running for assessor who wants to carve out all seniors and also a movement to make it easier for kids to inherit their parents' low taxes. Who is left? Only the fools who buy a property at market value, and pay several times what others pay for similar property."
The Palo Alto Flood Basin sluice gate has been inoperable for over five years, preventing muted tidal flows that support struggling bayside wildlife. The city of Palo Alto is responsible for maintaining the gate but has hesitated to fund the costly repair. Redirecting financial resources more equitably across the shoreline would better serve habitat needs. Proposition 13 has been amended repeatedly, producing many property-tax exemptions that benefit specific groups. Proposals to expand exemptions for seniors and to make parental tax bases easier to inherit would further advantage heirs over market buyers. Property taxes fund schools and local government, and fairness requires equal treatment.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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